Dodgers take another from mistake-prone Phillies; team has yet to score run for Sandberg

Phillies pitcher Luis Garcia returns to the mound as the Dodgers' Juan Uribe, left, runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the ninth inning Saturday to shut the door on the hapless home team. (Associated Press)

PHILADELPHIA -- The questions that surround the Phillies no longer have to do with whether they win or lose games. No, this second-half nosedive makes the propositions about this team read more like, "will they have more hits or errors," or, "how deep will Clayton Kershaw take a no-hitter?"

The answers to those questions Saturday night were, "it was a push," and, "the fifth inning." As for who won the game, you didn't really need to ask.

Dodgers 5, Phillies 0. In some ways it was closer than that. In others, it was a much, much wider expanse.

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The next question: When, exactly, will the Phillies score the first run of Ryan Sandberg's managerial career? Through two games it has been 18 goose eggs on the scoreboard.

Yes, each of the games since Charlie Manuel was dismissed was pitched by a guy with a Cy Young Award at home. A night after Zack Greinke owned the Phillies, Kershaw continued his near-certain quest for a second Cy Young with eight overpowering innings, striking out eight, walking one and powering his way out of the only jam he encountered in the bottom of the eighth by striking out Carlos Ruiz with the tying run in scoring position.

That was before Phillies reliever Luis Garcia gave up a three-run homer to Juan Uribe, which put the game on ice and allowed Brandon League to cruise through an eight-pitch ninth for the Dodgers (72-50), who have won 42 of their last 50 games.

"We've faced two very hot pitchers, and they came as advertised, showing great stuff," Sandberg said. "Kershaw had very live stuff, dominated the strike zone ahead of the hitters. He mixed his pitches real well."

As if merely facing the Phillies, who are 4-21 in their last 25 games, wasn't enough of an easy-A for Kershaw (12-7) as he tries to ace his Cy exam, in the second inning Michael Young had to be replaced at third base due to a tender Achilles' tendon that flared up. That put John McDonald and his .096 batting average in the No. 3 hole of the order for the rest of the evening.

Sandberg decided to give Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz the night off, even though they had a couple of the better track records against Kershaw of the players on the active roster. While there were seven right-handed bats in there against the southpaw, it was Domonic Brown who broke up Kershaw's no-hitter with a clean single to left field.

"Domonic Brown had two good quality at-bats," Sandberg said. "He had me thinking a little twice there with a right-handed-stacked lineup. He hit two balls on the nose."

Oh, and moments after his hit, Brown was picked off first base.

That's a typical moment for these Phils (53-69). Even though they are at a point at which they can't afford to make many, if any mistakes if they want to stop the bleeding, they keep making them at a miserable rate. In addition to that base-running blunder, the Phils committed three errors, one by John Mayberry Jr. at first base resulting in an unearned run crossing the plate in the top of the first.

And one run allowed to a team playing behind Kershaw is big trouble.

"You want clean games always," Sandberg said. "It looks good. It feels good. A lot of the time when you play a clean game, it means you've got a chance to win. Defense is a priority, pitching and defense work together. But errors ... what errors did tonight was put KK in a situation where he had to minimize them. He picked up his teammates and did the job."

Kendrick had one of his best starts in the last two months, allowing one earned run over six innings and getting key double-play grounders when he needed them to work out of jams caused by fielding gaffes.

But the extra work means trouble at the back end, when the Molotov cocktail bullpen is called into action.

"You try to play clean," Kendrick said. "We want to play better baseball. I think that's what we're trying to do. You're going to have your mistakes, but you try to minimize them and try to play clean baseball.

"We've got to just start playing better baseball. That's what it comes down to. All the way around: pitching, hitting, fielding. Everything. Each guy, worry about yourself. Take care of your job and what you got to do. Hopefully we all do that and we win some baseball games."

That's great in theory, but with this collection of players, it seems to be impossible in practice.